Redeem Me (Kin #6)(20)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Just get out. Leave me alone. You can’t come here and control me. Your opinion doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t you get it? You’ve torn my heart out, Parker. You took our love and you threw it away. Do you have any idea how much it hurts?”

I shook my head, annoyed that she’d assume it was easy for me. “Are you serious? I feel like I’m dyin’.”

“Then why did you do it? Why couldn’t you trust me? What the hell are you afraid of?”

There it was; the reason this conversation had to end. “Just forget it.”

I climbed out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the bathroom to get dressed. She’d never be able to understand what I was going through, because I’d never be able to tell her.

I was a coward, afraid to face the truth, and determined to keep her away from it, even if it cost me our future.

While pulling my pants back on, I heard her slipping down to the floor in the shower, and sobbing so loud that I knew the people in the next room could hear. As much as it broke my heart I couldn’t stay. She needed some kind of closure, and if finding it in the arms of someone else was the answer, I had to let her. She was right. I’d ended our relationship. I had no right to ask questions, or to judge. The person that Cameron was becoming was a direct reflection of what I’d done to her. Her actions were desperate, and probably well-thought. She wanted to forget about me, because it was her only way of coping.

I couldn’t blame her. If there were some way for me to forget how much I loved her I’d have done it by now. Nevertheless, I had a little more experience than Cameron, so I knew it wasn’t the solution. All I could hope was that time would heal our wounds.

Her cries continued, becoming even more unhinged than before. If her parents were in the next room they’d lose their shit. Since they already hated my guts, it was best if I didn’t give them anymore reasons. I finished putting on my shoes and peeked into the bathroom. “I’m sorry I upset you, Cam. I’m just goin’ to head back to school. I’ll do my best to keep my distance. For what it’s worth, I love you. That’s never goin’ to change. I’m not even goin’ to bother lookin’ for someone else; because I know they’ll never be you.”

I closed the door and rested my head on it for a second. The last thing I wanted to do was walk in public with tears streaming down my face. It was bad enough that I’d turned into such a pu**y. I didn’t need the whole world knowing it.

Chapter 14

Cameron

It was killing me knowing that he’d caught me red-handed in such a compromising position. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it after feeling so ashamed. I never should have even gone along with that idiotic plan of mine. Now I’d messed things up more. Parker was never going to forgive me. He’d never want me back.

When I heard the door closing I knew he’d really left. Panic struck me, and I rushed toward it, frantically hoping that I could make him stay. I managed to grab a towel before trudging out into the hallway completely naked. Parker turned around when he heard me calling his name.

A couple things transpired all at once.

Parker had tears running down his face. “Why should I?”

Seth came out of his room, curious to know who was yelling.

My father came out of his room across the hall.

I pulled the towel over all of my appendages, trying my best to ignore all of their stares, and focus on Parker. “Please just come back inside.”

He looked at my father, and then to me. With his head down to the ground, he walked past me, entering the room. Before I could join him, and get over my newest catastrophe, I felt my dad grabbing my arm. “Cameron, what’s he doing here? Why are you standing in the hall this inappropriate? You know better, young lady.”

I had to think of something, so that Parker wasn’t asked to leave. For a second I turned my attention down the hall, where Seth was still standing. Loud enough so they would both hear I addressed his question. “I invited him. Sorry for the interruption. I’ll just go inside now.”

“Cameron, get back here.” I could see the anger in my father’s eyes, and knew I wouldn’t hear the end of it in the morning, but it didn’t stop me from walking away. For the time being, I had to convince Parker to talk to me. He had to know that I was sorry for my actions.

Once inside my room, I found him sitting on the bed. His hands were up to his face, but I already knew he was upset. I walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He didn’t look up, or push me away, which was a good sign. At least he was letting me touch him.

After a few seconds I felt his hands over my waist, making their way behind my back. He pulled me closer, holding me as he sniffled. It was obvious that he was heartbroken, and the shock of seeing him that way was devastating to me. It wasn’t just the fact that we’d broken up, it was the idea that I’d been with another man.

My actions triggered these most recent complications to our already severed relationship. It killed me seeing him react this way, knowing he’d come so far to prove my intentions were false. I hated myself for bringing Seth into my problems, especially now when I knew the repercussions. “Parker, I need to tell you something.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Cam. I can’t take it. Picturing you with someone else is makin’ me sick.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” It was the truth. I didn’t care if I’d made out with another man, or come so close to sleeping with him. I wanted to be with Parker. “Please don’t go.”

He pushed me to the side and wiped his face with his arm. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was still getting to me. I began to break down uncontrollably. Before I could even listen to his response I was falling onto the bed beside him, losing restrain over myself. Parker didn’t tend to me like he normally would have. We were side by side, me lying down, and him sitting up. He’d seemed to calm down, while I was steady sobbing.

Then he reached out and touched my hand with his. “I don’t want to leave either, babe. It’s killing me to be here, but I don’t want to walk out that door, because I’m afraid it will be the end of whatever we still have left.”

I sat up and looked at him, even though it was difficult. “I know.”

He took his hand and rubbed the back of it over my cheek. I closed my eyes, appreciating his touch more than he could ever know. “Do you like him?”